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A Knick Misses 3-Pointers but Keeps Shooting Them

J. R. Smith hung his head the moment he realized his mistake. He did not run after LeBron James. It was already too late. Smith knew the end result of James’s critical steal, and the outcome of Sunday’s game, even before James soared through the air for a one-handed dunk with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

The turnover capped a poor performance for Smith against the defending champion Miami Heat. When the Knicks needed offense, Smith attempted to provide a spark. He had a few good moments, but he said he was a large part of the Knicks’ failure to execute in the final minutes of a 99-93 loss at Madison Square Garden.

Smith finished with 13 points in one of his worst shooting games this season. He went 5 of 18 from the field and took a game-high 14 3-point attempts, connecting on only three.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” he said. “My three turnovers killed us. I have to do better.”

Smith, who twice turned over the ball in the fourth quarter on bad passes, swished a 3-pointer in transition midway through the quarter to give the Knicks an 87-85 lead. That was the last time the Knicks led, and Smith missed his last three shots, all 3-point attempts, including the Knicks’ final shot.

“I had about four wide-open shots and I just missed them,” said Smith, who led the Knicks with 12 rebounds. “I took three bad pull-ups from 3. My shot wasn’t falling, and I didn’t get into a good rhythm.”

With 1 minute 45 seconds to go and the Knicks trailing by 2, Smith missed from long range. James grabbed the rebound. Smith was the only obstacle in his way and proved little challenge as James powered past Smith for a layup and a 95-91 Heat lead. Smith fell on his back, extended his arms and stared upward in frustration after the play.

Photo

J.R. Smith finished with 13 points in one of his worst shooting games this season. He went 5 of 18 from the floor, and took 14 3-point attempts, connecting on only three.Credit
Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Raymond Felton said it was unfair for Smith to take all of the blame for the Knicks’ breakdown. Felton was right. He had more turnovers (four) than he had baskets (three). Iman Shumpert finished with 3 points. Steve Novak was scoreless on three shots in 12 minutes, his play resembling his struggles against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season.

“I have to hit shots, J-Kidd has to hit shots, Novak has to hit shots,” Felton said. “When teams start double teaming Melo, we all have to collectively hit shots together.”

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 32 points, but they could not find another scoring option in the second half.

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Coach Mike Woodson elected to keep Amar’e Stoudemire (12 points) on the bench in the last eight minutes of the game, reasoning that Tyson Chandler was a better matchup against the Heat’s smaller lineup.

With the Heat cutting off Felton and Chandler on pick-and-rolls, Smith was left open from the perimeter. Woodson said he was upset that Smith kept putting up 3s even though his shots continued to bounce off the rim. Woodson said poor shot selection was the reason the Knicks were held to 16 points in the fourth quarter.

“He’s got to mix it up,” Woodson said of Smith. “That’s something he and I are going to talk about. When you’re not making your shots from the 3, you have to get a little bit close or try to get to the free-throw line. That’s what good scorers do.”

He continued: “You can’t take 18 shots and 14 shots be 3s. That’s a bit much. A lot of times, those shots look appetizing — and he makes a lot of them — but tonight, he didn’t make them.”

Smith’s shooting may have been erratic, but Jason Kidd credited him for trying to make the correct play when he sent a pass crosscourt to Anthony with the Knicks trailing, 97-93.

“Unfortunately,” Kidd said, “the best basketball player on this planet came up with the steal.”

A version of this article appears in print on March 4, 2013, on Page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: No Shyness In Smith’s Off-Target Repertory. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe